University School Dresden starts its eigth school year — and enters the upper secondary level

On Monday, August 17, 2026, the new school year for 934 children and young people will begin at the University School Dresden. The school community, which has been growing since the school’s founding in 2019, will then be spread across three buildings: an old GDR-era building and a temporary modular building at the Höckendorfer Weg site will soon be supplemented by several rooms from a daycare center in the immediate vicinity. To bring the University School community together under one roof and to allow the school to test the model of a school of the future, construction work on a learning center at the nearby Höckendorfer Weg site will begin with the new school year. The school community will move there for the 2029–2030 school year, as currently planned.

Student Participation in Shaping Their Individual Path to the Abitur

In the 2026–27 school year, the first 11^th-grade class will begin at the University School. It will then be the first community school in Saxony to offer a continuous educational pathway from elementary school all the way to the Abitur. About 40 students are choosing this path. Some of them previously earned their Realschulabschluss at the University School and completed the so-called “Schleifenjahr” (preparatory year), while others join directly after 10^th grade. The school administration and the academic leadership at TU Dresden are further developing the curriculum for the new Gymnasium track, with individualized learning pathways and project-based learning at the heart of its educational concept. In keeping with the Gymnasium track, the focus will increasingly shift toward subject-specific learning. For advanced courses, students in the current 11^th grade can choose mathematics, German, English, physics or history. However, interdisciplinary learning and work on self-selected topics will continue to be encouraged. The principle of student participation in selecting learning periods remains in place. Thus, students independently select half of their courses using the school’s own school and learning management software, while the other half is completed in fixed courses.

A treasure trove of data on successful learning remains untapped

In this software, individual learning paths are planned and documented on the one hand, while on the other hand, each entry generates numerous data points. This treasure trove of data can provide insights into the conditions for successful learning and serves as the foundation for data-driven school development within the framework of the 15-year school pilot. TU Dresden is shaping the real-world laboratory for the School of the Future even beyond the concept development phase and is making a significant contribution through data collection and analysis, as well as by providing the necessary infrastructure. Since the beginning of 2026, State funding for this accompanying research on the joint school pilot project between TU Dresden and the City of Dresden has been discontinued. This leaves a gap in the foundation for the continued empirically supported development of the school. Halfway through the 15-year joint school pilot program between TU Dresden and the City of Dresden, the  University School Dresden Pilot Project Research Unit (ForUS) will release an evaluation report.

More practical experience while studying: New formats in teacher education

As a training school, the Dresden University School is closely linked to TU Dresden and offers student teachers the opportunity to become familiar with innovative teaching and learning methods and an agile school organization early in their studies. Here, they can gain experience in empirical educational research and experiment with developing materials for a student-centered didactic approach. The pilot school project also facilitates the development of new formats in teacher education. This has led to the creation of a semester-long school practicum that, in addition to traditional block practicums, enables an early and intensive integration of theory and practice in the teacher education program. Since 2024, as part of the ALSO project — Alternative Teacher Training Practicum future teachers have been gaining early practical experience at selected high schools and can reflect on this experience in relation to the theories taught in regular accompanying courses, and vice versa.

About the University School Dresden

Dresden University School is a joint project of the City of Dresden and the Dresden University of Technology. It is a free, public community school run by the city, where innovative forms of teaching and learning are tested under scientific supervision. In addition, it is a training school for future teachers and, in the future, a further education school for teachers. The school trial is being scientifically supported by the ForUS Research Unit at TU Dresden.

Read more about TU Dresden’s research project: tu-dresden.de/gsw/unischule
Read more about University School Dresden: universitaetsschule.org

You can catch a glimpse inside the research project and daily school life on various social media channels at: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. There are also regular updates on University School Dresden in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences newsletter.

Media contact:

Maria Neuland Agüero
Communications Manager
University School Dresden Project

TUD Dresden University of Technology
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Education
Chair of Inclusive Education
Tel.: +49 351 463 41229
Email: